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RooksWS6 wrote:After spending quite a bit of time researching the pros and cons of the program I decided to do Summer Start because, as others have said, it makes sense for me. I agree that it is something that could be beneficial or not depending on your situation. While I don't see it as a "golden opportunity," I do think it will be nice transition from undergrad. Given the relaxed schedule (the class meets from 10-12 Mon.-Fri.), I'm hoping it will allow me to get comfortable with the type of material and learn some "tricks of the trade" that will be helpful when I'm managing a full class load.

The added benefit of lightening up my load as a 2L or 3L combined with the fact that it's paid for make it worthwhile for me. That said if the opportunity presented itself for me to spend that month or whatever somewhere tropical or backpacking through Europe you can bet I would be doing that instead.

Yeah, if your other option is just sitting around your parents house... its not a bad option. Bloomington is very nice in the summer and it's a cheap city to live in.

I don't know that I get the lightening up course load argument. 3L is a notoriously lax year class wise (you'll either be coasting because of a job offer or working feverishly to find one. Either way, classes won't your priority). Of course, you could try to do what I did and drop down to part time the last semester. That could save a couple thousand and equalize the cost of the summer start.

since Heidt was brought up, I thought I would post this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VisOSVmPQnk

Always good for a laugh.

RooksWS6 wrote:After spending quite a bit of time researching the pros and cons of the program I decided to do Summer Start because, as others have said, it makes sense for me. I agree that it is something that could be beneficial or not depending on your situation. While I don't see it as a "golden opportunity," I do think it will be nice transition from undergrad. Given the relaxed schedule (the class meets from 10-12 Mon.-Fri.), I'm hoping it will allow me to get comfortable with the type of material and learn some "tricks of the trade" that will be helpful when I'm managing a full class load.

That was my reasoning. I want to be able to learn the ropes of law school while the stakes are a lot lower. I know this class will count just as any other, but I feel it would be easier to become adjusted while I only have 1 class to worry about. Besides, coming from the East Coast to the Midwest is going to be a BIG transition for me and I am notoriously bad when it comes to getting adjusted to new places.

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

danquayle wrote: Yeah, if your other option is just sitting around your parents house... its not a bad option. Bloomington is very nice in the summer and it's a cheap city to live in.

I don't know that I get the lightening up course load argument. 3L is a notoriously lax year class wise (you'll either be coasting because of a job offer or working feverishly to find one. Either way, classes won't your priority). Of course, you could try to do what I did and drop down to part time the last semester. That could save a couple thousand and equalize the cost of the summer start.

This x 1000. However, I do know some students in 3L year who have that little added stress of reaching the hours requirement to graduate, and have to switch around classes and schedules to make it work. I think to some people the 2nd/3rd year schedule thing doesn't change, I think it could help some.

But yes, summer in Bloomington is great. Fantastic weather. I think it helps you learn some things about law school, as well as figure out the basics about the town. Yes, it was nice that by Fall I had a slightly better idea what to study, AND my cable was hooked up.

I was pretty jealous of all the summer starters the first few months of the semester. Having some peace of mind when it comes to exams seems pretty nice.

kings84_wr wrote:I was pretty jealous of all the summer starters the first few months of the semester. Having some peace of mind when it comes to exams seems pretty nice.

I think it certainly helped stress levels come Fall semester.

Spoonmanners wrote:

danquayle wrote: Yeah, if your other option is just sitting around your parents house... its not a bad option. Bloomington is very nice in the summer and it's a cheap city to live in.

I don't know that I get the lightening up course load argument. 3L is a notoriously lax year class wise (you'll either be coasting because of a job offer or working feverishly to find one. Either way, classes won't your priority). Of course, you could try to do what I did and drop down to part time the last semester. That could save a couple thousand and equalize the cost of the summer start.

This x 1000. However, I do know some students in 3L year who have that little added stress of reaching the hours requirement to graduate, and have to switch around classes and schedules to make it work. I think to some people the 2nd/3rd year schedule thing doesn't change, I think it could help some.

But yes, summer in Bloomington is great. Fantastic weather. I think it helps you learn some things about law school, as well as figure out the basics about the town. Yes, it was nice that by Fall I had a slightly better idea what to study, AND my cable was hooked up.

no offense, but do you really think it takes a whole summer to learn the basics of the town? based on pics Bloomington seems very nice with cool things to do, but I am pretty sure you can take in every square foot of the town in two days. unless you also include all of the countryside outside of bloomington, and indianapolis, which could be important if one takes the time to explore.

seriously???? wrote: no offense, but do you really think it takes a whole summer to learn the basics of the town? based on pics Bloomington seems very nice with cool things to do, but I am pretty sure you can take in every square foot of the town in two days. unless you also include all of the countryside outside of bloomington, and indianapolis, which could be important if one takes the time to explore.

More along the lines of figuring out campus, parking, buses, getting your place set up, getting your student ID, etc. It took me at least a few weeks to get the handful of stupid stuff completed. Just saying, it will take more than the 1-2 weeks you may plan to get moved in.

fair enough...and summers there do look pretty sweet, lake monroe is definitely on my list when I come visit

o, and how is parking down there? I assume most of the residential areas have easy parking, but I am not trying to pay for parking on campus. Are there alternatives, like parking just off campus for free and walking 5-10 min to class, or are those spots hard to get?

seriously???? wrote:o, and how is parking down there? I assume most of the residential areas have easy parking, but I am not trying to pay for parking on campus. Are there alternatives, like parking just off campus for free and walking 5-10 min to class, or are those spots hard to get?

There are a number of options.

Plenty of neighborhoods have bus access.

You can hit the parking deck across the street until 9 PM, when the attendant leaves and the gate opens.

You can get all day street parking within a 5-10 minute walk, but you need to get there early, like before 8:30.

There are a number of places where you can get a parking spot between $30-50 a month, depending on where it is.

And some people just move their car every 2 hours. I would really not recommend it, but some continue to do it.

Spoonmanners wrote: You can get all day street parking within a 5-10 minute walk, but you need to get there early, like before 8:30.

There are a number of places where you can get a parking spot between $30-50 a month, depending on where it is.

Do you have names/numbers of the garages in the area? Also, where in relation to the law school can you get all day street parking?

Not the names and numbers anymore, I haven't had a spot since Fall of last year. Most the places down on 4th street will sell parking. Mine required a 6 month contract (it was between 4th and Kirkwood and Dunn and Grant I think), but I believe most of the restaurants do month to month. If you look you will see signs with phone numbers for parking down 4th. I believe you can also get monthly parking at the city lot down by the square.

You can find all day parking a few blocks out from the school in the residential areas, starting in front of Poolside. They fill up quick, so you may have to go farther out to get a spot if you are set for all day parking.

Thanks for the advice guys. It seems like Summer Start is a great idea if you have nothing else going on- why not get a head start on a class that will make you feel more confident going into 1L, learning more about the town (especially if you are moving from somewhere non-Midwestern), and getting all those little 'starting school' things done.

In fact, it sounds so nice that the idea of it has been seducing me for a while, but the reality of moving back from a foreign country, finding and moving all my stuff out of my parents' houses, losing out on pay, and missing a lovely (free, thanks mom) vacation for one law school class is a bit too high of a cost for this lady. I'm already from the Midwest and went to a Midwestern state school, so living in Bloomington is not something that will take much effort to get used to.

It seems like Summer Start is a great program, but not something that will make or break your law school experience, am I right?

vmiller wrote:Thanks for the advice guys. It seems like Summer Start is a great idea if you have nothing else going on- why not get a head start on a class that will make you feel more confident going into 1L, learning more about the town (especially if you are moving from somewhere non-Midwestern), and getting all those little 'starting school' things done.

In fact, it sounds so nice that the idea of it has been seducing me for a while, but the reality of moving back from a foreign country, finding and moving all my stuff out of my parents' houses, losing out on pay, and missing a lovely (free, thanks mom) vacation for one law school class is a bit too high of a cost for this lady. I'm already from the Midwest and went to a Midwestern state school, so living in Bloomington is not something that will take much effort to get used to.

It seems like Summer Start is a great program, but not something that will make or break your law school experience, am I right?

Some may disagree, but I think that you're definitely right.

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

lolwhat?
if that really happens at IU that sounds awesome.

LogosEther wrote:

vmiller wrote:Thanks for the advice guys. It seems like Summer Start is a great idea if you have nothing else going on- why not get a head start on a class that will make you feel more confident going into 1L, learning more about the town (especially if you are moving from somewhere non-Midwestern), and getting all those little 'starting school' things done.

In fact, it sounds so nice that the idea of it has been seducing me for a while, but the reality of moving back from a foreign country, finding and moving all my stuff out of my parents' houses, losing out on pay, and missing a lovely (free, thanks mom) vacation for one law school class is a bit too high of a cost for this lady. I'm already from the Midwest and went to a Midwestern state school, so living in Bloomington is not something that will take much effort to get used to.

It seems like Summer Start is a great program, but not something that will make or break your law school experience, am I right?

Some may disagree, but I think that you're definitely right.

I've been a rabid critic of summer start, but only for the reasons you're not doing it: it doesn't make sense if you have other things you'd like to do, and it's certainly not giving you advantage. Now, do I think its a nice program and a relaxing way to start off law school? Sure. If you have nothing else going on and its free, it's certainly nice to spend the time in Bloomington making new friends.

I just don't think some should stress it as a "once in lifetime" opportunity. If your alternatives are to travel to Japan, for God's sake, travel to Japan. That's more experientially valuable than another 3 months in Bloomington. Likewise, if you'd rather spend the summer relaxing with family and clearing your mind (as I did), don't feel like you're going to be at a disadvantage.

But as working attorney, would I jump at a chance to spend a summer in Bloomington? Hell yes. You could even use it as an excuse to take off from work 3 months early to relax and slide into things. But for God's sake, view it as a nice relaxing time in order to reset yourself before the melee. If you're going into it thinking you're going to "prepare yourself" for law school by studying all summer long and practicing old exams, you're making a mistake.

stlisforlovers wrote:

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

lolwhat?
if that really happens at IU that sounds awesome.

Indeeders. Property.

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

lolwhat?
if that really happens at IU that sounds awesome.

Indeeders. Property.

Perhaps the greatest professor of all time.

stlisforlovers wrote:

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

lolwhat?
if that really happens at IU that sounds awesome.

I'm having a hard time imagining what part of a suit is best for pancake storage.

sab0tage wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:

LogosEther wrote:

stlisforlovers wrote:How would you describe the professors in general?

If you want a professor who will pull pancakes out of his suit and toss them to students who speak in class, I think we're really your only choice.

lolwhat?
if that really happens at IU that sounds awesome.

I'm having a hard time imagining what part of a suit is best for pancake storage.

Yeah can't help you there, I missed the suit day, I was just there when he kept them next to him. I imagine like an inside breast pocket, though.

Inside breast pocket is def the classiest place to keep pancakes in one's suit.

Or better yet...a suit made of pancakes.



Unrelated Question: What exactly is a hoosier?

AboveTheLawSchool wrote:Or better yet...a suit made of pancakes.



Unrelated Question: What exactly is a hoosier?

I like to think Stake has his suit pockets done custom to fit pancakes.

I'm pretty sure a Hoosier just means an Indianan (see, that term doesn't really roll off the tongue). It's an older phrase that means someone from Indiana. Which makes our mascot pretty terrible.